Jiangsu improves efforts to protect 170,000 rural migrant children

The Jiangsu Department of Civil Affairs launched a campaign in Binhai County of Yancheng City on July 15 in order to raise public awareness of governmental policy protecting left-behind children in rural area.

The publicity initiative aims to promote cooperation and collaboration among various stakeholders and let every village or rural families to know the access to the special policy for disadvantaged children, including those left at their rural home by parents who worked as migrant workers in cities.

By the end of 2019, Jiangsu had a total of 14.038 million children, among whom over 536,300 or 3.8 percent were identified as “living in difficulties.” Thanks to the increasing protection, the number of Jiangsu’s left-behind children dropped by 29.6 percent to 170,604. Meanwhile, all entrusted guardians of the left-behind children have signed a Letter of Commitment to guarantee children’s rights and interest.

Compared with other regions, Jiangsu takes the national lead in terms of the protection efforts and mechanisms to help left-behind children, children in difficulties and de facto orphans, improving the performance year by year.

The one-year campaign is mainly targeted at parents or guardians of the disadvantaged children in rural areas as well as community leaders in charge of children’s well-being. The campaign includes introduction of the laws and regulations to protect children.